The present invention relates to a document processing apparatus for synthesizing a plurality of document element objects as if they are adhered to a document printed on a paper medium, to create a composite document, and in particular, it relates to a document processing apparatus which conversion-processes document data into document element objects.
The present applicant has been already proposed a document processing apparatus which synthesizes document element objects comprising electronic document data as if the objects were adhered to a document printed on a paper medium, thus creating electronic composite document data, and further treating the created composite document data as if it were a document on a paper medium (Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 6-278323).
This document processing apparatus creates a composite document 21 as shown in FIG. 11, and also performs edit processing etc., this composite document being synthesized by superimposing document element objects A, B, C, D and E for example.
The document element object A is a so-called parent document, and is a text document created by a text application comprising a word processor. Also, document element objects B, C and D are so-called child documents which overlap the document element object A, B being a graph document created by a chart application and document element objects C and D being a graphic document created by a graphics application. Also, document element object E is a so-called grandchild document which overlaps the document element object B and is a text document created with a text application.
The real data of the document element objects A through E are created as a real data frame, and relationship data between document element object A and document element objects B through D and relationship data between document element object B and document element object E are each created as a relationship data frame. Document element data of the document element objects A through E are formed by pairs of these real data and relationship data.
The real data frame has data rows which include essential data and storage data rows which include pointers to the relationship data frames. Included in the data rows are a creation environment of the creator, creation time, etc. of the document element object, the name of the application used to create the document element object, display data converted from the document data of the document element object into a format which does not exist in the creation application, application data which is document data from the creation application, etc. Also, a plurality of pointers can be included in the storage data rows, which are matched to the relationship data frame of other overlapping document element objects via each of these pointers.
Note that the display data are converted into uniform format display data such as PostScript (TM) using the print function of the application used to create the document data (creation application), so that display and printing can be performed with the display data without using the creation application. In the present embodiment, these display data are bit map data, in which output of the document element object can be realized but editing of the document element object cannot be realized.
On the other hand, the application data are document data which exist in the creation application and editing of the document element object can be realized using the application data by starting the relevant creation application.
The relationship data frame also has data rows which include essential data and storage data rows which include pointers to the document element objects. Included in the data rows are a mounting position for the document element object, mounting size, mounting role for what role the document element object has in the composite document, overlapping order for when the document element object is overlapped, etc. Also, the storage data rows include a pointer and are matched to the real data frame of a corresponding document element object via this pointer.
In outline, the document element objects A through E are each formed on an imaginary document creation region 22, and the document element objects A through E are superimposed by overlapping and matching these document creation regions 22 to form a composite document 21. The real data frame 23 of the parent document element object A is matched to the real data frames 24 through 26 and respective relationship data frames 27 through 29 of the child document element objects B through D, while the real data frame 30 of the document element object E which is superimposed on the document element object B is matched to the real data frame 24 of the document element object B via the relationship data frame 31.
Corresponding relationships of the above real data frames and relationship data frames are made by the pointers, access from a given real data frame to another overlapping real data frame via relationship data frame being possible by following the pointer. The real data frames and relationship data frames matched by the pointers form in their entirety the composite document data, each of these real data frames and relationship data frames being stored in a memory device as matched independent data units and being readable and writable in data units.
As shown in FIG. 12, as well as creation environments, display data and application data, the names of the creation applications used to create document data of the document element objects are included as "text", "charts", "graphics" and "text" in the real data frames 23 through 26 and 30 of the document element objects A through E.
Also, included in the relationship data frames 27 through 29 between the real data frame 23 and the real data frames 24 through 26, as well as the relationship data frame 31 between the real data frame 24 and the real data frame 30 are, together with mounting positions, mounting sizes and overlapping orders, the mounting roles.
Specifically, in the relationship data frame 27 the document element object B is mounted on document element object A in the second overlapping order, movement of the mounting position of the document element object B afterwards being prohibited, and the document element object B includes data to the effect of achieving an original of the composite document 21. Also, in the relationship data frame 28 the document element object C is mounted on document element object A in the first overlapping order, the document element object C including data to the effect of achieving a comment of the composite document 21. Further, in the relationship data frame 29 the document element object D is mounted on document element object A in the foremost zero overlapping order, modifications to the content of the document element object D afterwards being prohibited, and the document element object D includes data to the effect of achieving an original of the composite document 21. Further still, in the relationship data frame 31 the document element object E is mounted on the document element object B in the foremost zero overlapping order, movement of the mounting position of the document element object E afterwards being prohibited, and the document element object E includes data to the effect of achieving an original of the composite document 21.
Note that as a document processing apparatus for creating such a composite document, other prior art apparatuses of various formats have been proposed (Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Sho. 63-24463, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 6-168092).
Also, in the prior art, document processing apparatuses which, when mounting objects of letter row data in the document (Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 2-59857) or when mounting objects of image data in the document (Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 5-81400), store the object in a storage means such as a so-called clipboard etc., making it possible to repeatedly mounting process the same object, have been proposed.
Here, in order to create a composite document which is displayable and printable without existing in the creation application, it is necessary to include, in the document element data for achieving each document element object, display data of uniform format converted using the print function of the creation application as described above. Then, it is necessary for this conversion process to execute an editing program on the document data which are to be made document element objects, corresponding to the type of data. For example, it is necessary for document data of letter row data to be conversion processed by a letter row editing program, and document data of graphic data to be conversion processed by a graphic editing program.
However, in cases where the document processing apparatus is provided with only one editing program, only document data of a type which can be processed by this editing program can be made document element objects, and there is the problem that the expected object of freely mounting and matching various types of objects in the manner of a paper medium document to create a composite document cannot be achieved.
In contrast, if a number of types of editing programs are provided in the document processing apparatus, although various types of document data can be made document element objects, each time the user switches programs to operate them, operation becomes difficult and creation of a composite document takes long man-hours, and there is the problem that the expected object of mounting and matching various types of objects in the manner of a paper medium document to simply create a composite document cannot be achieved.